Jasmax
{{Short description|New Zealand architectural firm}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2025}}
Jasmax is a New Zealand architectural firm based in Auckland. It was co-founded by Richard Harris in 1989.{{Cite web |last=Architects (www.nzia.co.nz) |first=NZ Institute of |title=Managing in uncertain times |url=https://nzia.co.nz/explore/articles-and-essays/managing-in-uncertain-times/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=NZ Institute of Architects (www.nzia.co.nz)}} They have worked on iconic buildings in New Zealand including the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington, the Auckland Town Hall, and the City Rail Link project in Auckland was the first New Zealand project to be recognised by the World Architecture Festival.
Practice
Two prominent heritage projects for Auckland city of Jasmax's in the 1990s were the Civic Theatre and the Auckland Town Hall. Architect Ainsley O'Connell who joined the company in 1993 worked on theses projects and was the project architect for the Auckland Town Hall which won an award in 1999.{{Citation |last=Cox |first=Elizabeth |title='The Faces of Change': Practice in the 1970s-1990s |date=2022-01-01 |work=Making Space: A History of New Zealand Women in Architecture |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133842111 |access-date=2025-04-09 |language=English}} Also joining the company in the 1990s was Christina van Bohemen who joined straight after graduating in 1997. In 1999 O'Connell became the first women architect to be an associate director, there was one other women associate director, interior designer Susan Gower.{{Cite web |title=New Models: The Landscape of Practice 2000-2020 |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133818368 |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=www.wikidata.org |language=en}}
Directors of Jasmax in 2007 included John Austin and John Sutherland.
Jasmax projects range from architecture, interior design and landscape architecture to building conservation, urban design and sustainable architecture.{{Cite web |title=Jasmax {{!}} New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Tuia Pito Ora |url=https://nzila.co.nz/directory/jasmax |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=nzila.co.nz}} Their head office is in Auckland, New Zealand and they have about 260 staff,{{Cite web |title=Jasmax {{!}} New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Tuia Pito Ora |url=https://nzila.co.nz/directory/jasmax |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=nzila.co.nz}} and they are internationally recognised for their work in cultural design.{{Cite web |title=Jasmax announces a new design direction |url=https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/jasmax-announces-a-new-design-direction/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Architecture Now |language=en-AU}}
Jasmax started a Waka Maia team of Māori designers in 2015 and Elisapeta Heta is one of the team.{{Cite web |last=Byrt |first=Anthony |title=Metro — How Maori principles shaped the City Rail Link's award-winning design |url=https://www.metromag.co.nz/city-life/city-life-urban-design/how-mori-design-principles-shaped-the-city-rail-links-award-winning-design |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=www.metromag.co.nz |language=en}}
A new manifesto in 2019 gave redirected their design philosophy 'to elevate the cultural design conversation in New Zealand'. As at 2019, Sjoerd Post was the CEO and Matthew Glubb was a principal of the firm. Glubb was appointed as CEO in 2023.
= Selected Projects =
Te Papa the national museum in Wellington (opened in 1998) was designed by Jasmax. Pete Bossley was the director at the time.{{Cite web |title=Stories hidden in our building {{!}} Te Papa |url=https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/about/our-buildings/stories-hidden-inside-our-building |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=tepapa.govt.nz}}{{Cite web |title=Te Papa Tongarewa |url=https://www.jasmax.com/work/te-papa-tongarewa/sectors/cultural-and-civic/1152 |website=Jasmax}}
In 2002, Alistair Luke of Jasmax restored the Sutch House designed by Ernst Plischke.{{Cite book |title=Long live the modern: New Zealand's new architecture, 1904-1984 |date=2008 |publisher=Auckland University Press |isbn=978-1-86940-415-4 |editor-last=Gatley |editor-first=Julia |location=Auckland, N.Z}}
In Dunedin, Jasmax and Populous Holdings designed the Forsyth Barr Stadium (2011).{{Cite web |title=Itinerary: Sports architecture |url=https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/itinerary-sports-architecture/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=Architecture Now |language=en-AU}}
Jasmax has been involved in both the Scott Base redevelopment in Antarctica and the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira in Auckland.
The City Rail Link project in Auckland was the first New Zealand project to be recognised by the World Architecture Festival WAFX for Cultural Identity. This project was a collaboration between Jasmax and Grimshaw Architects. Rau Hoskins, of designTRIBE and people Alt Group were also involved, as well as from the start eight Māori groups specific to the region (mana whenua).
The building 'C Drive' in Auckland is described as innovative architecture in a commercial building, Jasmax entered a competition to get the job winning against three other firms.{{Cite book |title=Exquisite apart: 100 years of architecture in New Zealand |date=2005 |publisher=Balasoglou Books |isbn=978-0-476-01366-7 |editor-last=Walker |editor-first=Charles |location=Auckland, N.Z}}{{Cite web |date=2025-04-06 |title=Office deep secrets exposed - Business News |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/office-deep-secrets-exposed/X277EAA5XRCZX4GBHOOYBOR5TM/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}
Awards
{{Incomplete list|date=April 2025}}
- 1999 regional award, Auckland Town Hall
- 2019 Cultural Identity, World Architecture Festival WAFX - City Rail Link (in association with Grimshaw Architects)
- 2019 (shortlisted), Infrastructure Award, World Architecture Festival WAFX - City Rail Link (in association with Grimshaw Architects)